Activist in Argentina: the environmental millionaire against the Chinese fishing fleets

Millionaire Enrique Pinheiro uses his wealth to bring attention to environmental crimes. In his Boeing, he flies low over the illegal fishing fleets that fish in Argentina’s economic zone.

It’s 6:30 p.m. in Buenos Aires when a private long-haul plane takes off from Ezeiza Airport, heading into dusk. Shortly thereafter, it turns around and flies out into the open sea. Target: 200 miles from the coast. Argentina’s exclusive economic zone ends there.

Enrique Pinheiro, with a three-day gray beard, sits in the cockpit and routinely pilots his Boeing through the dark night. 66-year-old Pinheiro is a pilot, actor, doctor – and above all very rich. His grandfather founded an empire. With the sale of his shares, Pinheiro became independent and has since appeared repeatedly as an environmental activist.

A sea of ​​lights from fishing boats

As he serves snacks and wine from his large restaurant to the journalists and diplomats who fly with him on the plane, it gets lighter and brighter outside. Pinheiro lowers his Boeing to an altitude of 1,700 metres. Suddenly a sea of ​​lights appears under the plane – almost like a starry sky.

The plane has reached the goal of Pinheiro’s current mission: he wants to show the public the illegal fishing off the Argentine coast. It is the Chinese fishing fleets that widely trawl Argentina’s exclusive economic zone. In the darkness, the reflectors of countless ships are clearly visible. When flying over the sea, it looks like a big city. “We’ve been flying over this fleet for 30 minutes and it won’t stop because it’s so huge,” Pinheiro explains indignantly.

26 million tons of illegal looting annually

Pinheiro said over the onboard microphone in April 2021 that they counted 517 boats. The exact number present this time can only be determined later when evaluating the recordings. The ships often came from China, Pinheiro says — but illegal Japanese and Korean fleets have also been spotted.

Also in the Pacific, off the fish-rich coasts of Peru and Ecuador, the sea glows at night because foreign fleets exploit the ocean. Pinheiro was already there with his Boeing.

These fishing fleets usually fish in foreign economic zones without permission. As a pilot, Pinheiro has been watching this for decades. Experts estimate as much as 26 million tons of illegal looting occurs worldwide each year. Fleets usually target lobster, hake and squid.

Impressive personality

Enrique Pinheiro is a great figure in Argentina. He became known for all things plane crash related. As a pilot for Lapa Airlines in the 1990s, he repeatedly referred to poor safety standards and even quit as a result.

Shortly thereafter, his warnings were tragically fulfilled: In 1999, a LAPA plane crashed on takeoff in Buenos Aires. 63 people died. From the story of his ill-fated prophecy, Pinheiro made a feature film – “Whiskey, Romeo, Zulu” – starring himself. He produced more films, performed stand-up comedy and opened a restaurant in Buenos Aires that had been booked for months.

Humanitarian actions with media impact

Pinheiro does not like to talk about his fortune in millions and does not publish any figures. One thing is clear: he belongs to one of the richest families in Argentina, the Roca family, which owns the multinational industrial group Techint. After Enrique Piñeyro sold his shares in the company, he founded the aid organization Solidaire.

Since then, he has regularly drawn himself to attention with media-effective humanitarian campaigns, preferring to sit in the cockpit of his plane himself. Recently, he has been transporting Ukrainian refugees to different host countries. He also works with the Spanish NGO Open Arms, which, among other things, rescues refugees from the Mediterranean.

‘Colossal damage to the future’

While flying over the Atlantic Ocean, the line to the cockpit is long. Many journalists want to look over the shoulder of the environmental millionaire at work. Also on board are the ambassadors of the European Union, the United States and Japan to Argentina. They want to get an idea of ​​the size of the fishing fleets.

In the subsequent press conference in the airport terminal, Pinheiro again made his motives clear: “This kind of marine devastation must be prevented with the help of international treaties, because the consequences of this fishing can be felt all over the world.”

If it is on its way, affected countries will have to monitor their borders with daily flights. The few boats of state control are not up to this great task. Illegal fishing is “serious harm for the future” and will have far-reaching consequences for the entire ecosystem. It’s not just an Argentine problem, it’s a problem for all of humanity.”

The jet set for a good reason

He doesn’t have much time after the trip. The next day we go to Lebanon. There he wants to deliver aid to Syria. He then travels to Madrid and Warsaw to transport Ukrainian refugees to Canada. Why does he do all this? Pinheiro asks “Why wouldn’t I do it?” It is pure sympathy. “Humanity is something that concerns us all, and whoever needs it needs it.”

Whether he’s a leading actor in movies or at the controls of his private jet: Enrique Piñeyro not only invests a lot of money in the projects he’s committed to, but also puts himself at the center of the action. as an actor, pilot, restaurateur, doctor, and environmental activist.

In any case, his Atlantic voyage drew significant media coverage because he made his fellow passengers aware of a problem that they would not have seen otherwise.